Parkinson's Disease: The Life Cycle of the Dopamine Neuron. September 18-20, 2002. Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Proceedings.

P arkinson's Disease (PD), a progressive neurological disorder arising from degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain, is characterized by impairment of movement control. It progresses from symptoms such as tremor and muscular rigidity to total disability and death. This multidisciplinary conference will focus on the dopaminergic system from a developmental perspective. Conference sessions will focus on the clinical syndrome of PD, pre-and post-natal development of the dopaminergic neuron, molecular modulators in the dopamine system, cellular injury, defenses and compensation, cell biology of the dopamine neuron, genetics and animal models of PD, neurogenesis and cell transfer in PD. The conference's goals are to improve the understanding of how dopaminergic neurons form, how they mature and respond to genetic and environmental factors, and how they may be regenerated. We hope that greater insights into these aspects of the dopaminergic system ultimately will lead to development of new therapeutic agents and preventive approaches to PD. Ample time will be provided for discussion and interactions. The conference will include two poster sessions; abstracts for posters are being solicited.